


Zoey's Extraordinary Nutcracker

by clarkemanship



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: 1993 Nutcracker, Alternate Universe, Children Versions Of These Characters, Christmas Time, F/M, Fanfic Christmas Exchange, Fluff, Max Richman Is Too Good For This World Even As A Child, Nutcracker AU, Post-Mitch's Death, The Nephew Is A Simp And So Is Max, Zoey Has Never Seen A Ballet And Are We Even Surprised?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28309038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkemanship/pseuds/clarkemanship
Summary: Zoey sees The Nutcracker Ballet for the first time, and she makes some interesting realizations. (based off of the 1993 movie version of The Nutcracker)
Relationships: David Clarke/Emily (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist), Zoey Clarke & Max Richman, Zoey Clarke/Max Richman
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10
Collections: Clarkeman Holiday Fic Exchange 2020





	Zoey's Extraordinary Nutcracker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheAuthor44](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAuthor44/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scene One Act One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I am finally back and here to show you this fanfic. I am SUPER excited for this one, and I am really proud.
> 
> I would like to thank my two friends, who mostly edited this chapter, and my sister, who edited/read it all. Even with your guys' amazing advice, it turned out horribly.
> 
> Secondly, I want to say thank you to the discord chat. You guys are amazing!
> 
> Finally, thank you to TheAuthor44! I was super excited to write for you, and extremely nervous, because you are literally the best. Love you so much (also enjoy your short cameo).

_ What am I even doing here?  _ Max had somehow convinced Zoey to go see the Nutcracker at the San Francisco Ballet, even though it “wasn’t her style”. She needed the distraction and the time away from her family anyway, so she accepted. That sounds like a horrible thing to feel, but the constant grief and singing about it was too much for her. Though sitting in uncomfortable seats for two hours watching a ballet wasn’t any better, at least Max was there. 

The two of them made their way to the front orchestra seats (Apparently, Max didn’t mind spending a fortune on Zoey) ten minutes before the show started. They were thoroughly stuffed with the food from the pre-show dining at the Opera House, and both had a  _ bit  _ to drink.

“Thanks Max, for bringing me here.” Zoey sat down, adjusting in her seat to look at Max who was already right next to her.

“Of course! I was surprised to hear that you hadn’t seen this yet, and I thought it’d be a fun experience.” he said, shrinking into himself.

“It’s gonna be very fun, if you like watching people dance across the stage without any singing.” She commented sarcastically. 

“Oh, and don’t forget that there’s no speaking either.” Max added.

“That is just great. Two hours of strictly music is exactly what I need to get away from, well… music.”

“Everything will be just fine, Zoey.” The lights started to dim, and the chatter of the house began to fade. Max nodded his head to the stage as the orchestra began to play the overture. Zoey had to admit it was mesmerizing to watch the conductor. No wonder classical music made people sleepy. Between the beautiful movements of the instruments, the way that all the different sounds blended, and the contrasting tempo, It’s hard not to doze off in the music’s comfort.

The first song went by quickly as Zoey  _ finally  _ realized the interesting aspects of music, and the opening scene was set. A little girl sat in a chair sleeping with her brother laying down, head on her lap. She roused and woke up the little boy eagerly. Zoey smiled as memories of past Christmases flooded into her mind. She often used to wake David with that same excitement, bouncing on top of his bed to wake him. The two of them would scamper downstairs to find a bunch of presents under the tree.

The siblings onstage fought for the best view into the parlor where the largest Christmas tree ever imagined was decorated. Their mother and father were still decorating and getting ready for the family party. Finally, the guests arrived with presents for all the children. The girls and boys split their separate ways and played. Everyone laughed and smiled together. It was a magical moment.

The melody drifted Zoey to another world where all her problems disappeared. The theatre started to fade away. She could feel herself landing into the story. Literally.  _ That’s weird. Where did everyone go?  _ Looking around, she realized that she was much smaller, the size of a little girl. Zoey could see the other party goers dancing around the room. What was even weirder was that all the other people looked familiar. They all looked like family members and close friends from her childhood. Grandparents, cousins, even her neighbor, Aiden, were all there. It was an elegant affair, so everyone was dressed in fancier clothes. Zoey was wearing a Victorian dress with white and pink lace, and her hair was tied back using a massive bow. She hated the lace on the outfit for it was way too itchy, but all the other girls, including her mother, didn’t seem to mind.

Soon the parents let everyone into the parlor with a huge Christmas tree and presents underneath. All the kids went running to admire the beautifully decorated tree, including Zoey and David. Being of tiny stature, she jumped, trying to reach the top, yet she was unsuccessful. Once all the children attempted, they were all lined up to dance. The boys found their partners quickly, but poor David, who was eyeing Emily from across the room, was rejected by everyone. He ended up having to dance with his mother, while Zoey danced with Aiden.

She wouldn’t consider herself the  _ best  _ dancer, but she kept up with the beat enough to not step on her partner’s feet. A short time into the song, Zoey’s brother pulled her hair.

“Ow! Why did you do that?”

“Next time, you’re dancing with dad.” She circled around David, sticking her tongue out.

“Sorry that nobody likes you, but that isn’t my problem.” He went to tackle Zoey, but Maggie pulled him back.

“David, don’t do that!” She scolded her son. “Now you two stop fighting, or you guys won’t get presents.” Both shut up immediately at the threat. The gifts were very important every Christmas Eve, and they were not going to give them up just because David can’t keep a girl longer than a few seconds. Suddenly, the party goers gathered around the tree again.

“Speaking of presents!” Maggie guided David and Zoey to their gifts and ran back to her husband to watch. All the boys got fake drums, trumpets, and other instruments to play, while the girls had pretty dolls.  _ How stereotypical. Though, this  _ is  _ set in 19 _ _ th _ _ century Germany, so technology isn’t too advanced.  _ Once she returned her gaze back to the pile of gifts, every last trace of a present was gone. Zoey could have sworn there was enough for everyone, including herself, but she was wrong.

Suddenly feeling down, a mysteriously cloaked man entered into her field of view. His face was covered by his dark cape, but the man looked strangely inviting and fatherly. A little boy, who seemed oddly familiar, and three large boxes stood close to the man. Eventually, he revealed himself, and a flood of excitement washed through Zoey’s body. It was her godfather, Mitch. It had been months since she had seen him, and she was overjoyed to reunite with him. She ran over and gave him a huge hug, which he reciprocated.

“Hey, kiddo! How are you?”

“I’m doing fine. I missed you.” Zoey snuggled more into his arms, but Mitch adjusted her so he could look into her bright eyes.

“Well, I’m here now, and I have a gift for you.” He grabbed a toy soldier from behind his back and held it out. The soldier was in fact a nutcracker with long, gray hair and a lovingly painted face. It was the most beautiful toy Zoey had ever seen and immediately became her favorite present. 

“I love it! Thank you so much.” Mitch handed the nutcracker to her and she cradled it close to her heart. The old man smiled at the sight, though he quickly remembered who was with him. 

“Zoey, I would like you to meet somebody.” The little boy from before stood next to Mitch and grinned at her. “This is my apprentice, Max Richman.”  _ Finally.  _ She grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer.

“Max, there you are! Something strange is going on. One minute we were in the theatre, the next I was here, and I don’t know how to get back.” While Zoey was rambling, he gave her a confused look.

“Are you okay, miss?” 

“Are YOU okay? Don’t you remember me?” 

“We only just met.” Max bent down and kissed the back of her hand. Zoey smiled at the gesture. “Why don’t you sit down, and we can get the show started?” 

“What show?” Things were getting more confusing by the minute, and Max wouldn’t tell her anything either. Yet, she sat down near the crowd of children, the nutcracker still in her arms. Mitch and his apprentice rolled the three gigantic presents to the middle of the room. Before opening the first box, Max smiled softly in Zoey’s direction. She got so distracted by him that she didn’t notice a human sized rag doll and ballerina being wound up. They had lovely handcrafted outfits and Zoey became mesmerized while watching the two of them dance. After closer observation, she realized that the ballerina resembled Ava, and the rag doll to a great extent looked like Joan. 

Zoey remembered the last two times that they both sang together at SPRQ Point. The most recent, when they finally joined together to work on the Chirp after many years of rivalry. She also recalled the time when Joan was fighting to get Max back from the sixth floor, and the horrible outburst Zoey had. She grimaced at that memory. 

A sudden cheering brought her attention back to the two dolls being returned to the gift box. She must have zoned out throughout the entirety of the performance, entranced by their fantasy instead of their movement. As quickly as they left, a new doll entered. This time, it was a soldier doll with a hat and an enormous plume. Curly hair peaked from under the hat, so Zoey knew immediately that the soldier was supposed to mimic Danny Michael Davis. She laughed at the display causing a few odd glances from the other girls and boys. It was  _ almost _ as embarrassing as singing Pressure to a room full of people. Almost.

Looking toward where Danny had just been, Zoey caught Max looking at her. They locked eyes and smiled at each other. He always had alluring eyes that you could get lost in.  _ The ones that you could love forever.  _ Zoey chided herself for thinking about Max in that way. She didn’t want to hurt him again, especially when it wasn’t the right time for a relationship. Her heart wasn’t healed enough to love him completely.  _ Maybe I’ll never love him enough.  _ She broke eye contact to derail her worries. 

“Wasn’t that performance amazing!?!” A girl named Jacquie asked the group of children, who were crowding around the dolls. 

“Yep. It was pretty amazing.” Zoey responded, clearly not talking about the dance. “Really amazing.” 

Abruptly, David and his group of friends ran up to her and started to grab the shortly forgotten nutcracker on Zoey’s lap. They took the toy and started to run away with it.

“David! Give it back!” She screamed, attracting the attention of some of the adults and other children. The siblings ran across the room trying to keep the nutcracker away from each other. After some pushing and shoving, David accidentally tripped over his own feet, dropping the doll. It fell onto the floor with a loud clash and broke. Zoey slid to the ground picking up the nutcracker. “Why would you break it?” 

“I slipped!” She started to tear up. Her favorite and most precious gift was broken and she felt helpless. Mitch saw Zoey in distress, so he walked over and crouched down. She handed him the doll, doubtedly, to see if it was fixable. Mitch investigated the nutcracker, then quickly pulled out a handkerchief to keep the jaw in place. 

“There you go!” He lifted Zoey’s face and wiped her tears. “No need to cry, pumpkin.” 

“Thanks.” She muttered before throwing herself into his arms. When Zoey left the embrace, Mitch kissed the top of her head, before all the girls circled around the nutcracker with their own dolls. Zoey wasn’t going to let anything happen to it again. They all started to comfort each other after the ruckus, but didn’t get too far when the boys ran over and started to play the instruments loudly. Maggie made them leave, and this time she reprimanded David. 

“Here.” Zoey heard a voice from above her say. She looked up and saw Max standing with a doll bed for the nutcracker. He smiled earnestly as she took the bed and placed the doll on top. Max had always taken care of her, even when she least expected it.  _ I love how he cares. STOP IT BRAIN.  _

“Thank you.” Zoey responded. She put out her hand, and Max gently shook it. Purposely, she let her fingers linger. Once again, they were interrupted, but this time by the girls piling around Zoey.  _ Seriously, they have no boundaries.  _ The mob of children played with the soldier’s hair, straightened out the bed sheets, and even admired the intricate face paint. The nutcracker was the best doll out of them all, so of course it was the main attraction. 

Once they finally retreated, the boys took advantage of the short period of vulnerability to annoy their siblings. Everyone, especially the parents, had enough of the antics, so they made the decision to continue the dancing. Mitch gathered the children as they found their partners. Because there was a new guest this time, David got to dance with Emily, Aiden danced with Jacquie, and Max with Zoey. The minute Max walked over to Zoey, her heartbeat quickened. It was just a dance, but it felt like something more (even if this young Max barely knew who she was). Following tradition, Zoey curtsied as he bowed, then they waited for the music to start. 

The minute that the waltz started, everything around her stopped. It was just the two of them dancing with no care in the world. Max didn’t mind that Zoey wasn’t the best dancer or tripped over his feet once or twice, because all that mattered was they were happy. For the third time that night, she realized how amazing he was. The way that Max looked at her with such tenderness in those charming eyes made her stomach fill with butterflies. Zoey wished she could stay in this slow, fantasy-like waltz forever, but she returned to the parlor where the families were gathering to leave. 

“Zo, come say farewell to everyone.” Maggie said. Zoey nodded her head before running over to some of the neighbors. She waved goodbye to her friends and some of her family, adding on an occasional ‘Merry Christmas Eve’. At last she was mostly alone, except for Mitch and Max, who were saying their last goodbyes to the Clarke family. They were the hardest to part with, for she may never see them again. Mitch kissed Zoey on the head, before leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“I love you, kiddo.” She smiled, then wrapped her arms around his neck for a tight hug.

“I love you too.” Mitch stepped back, and pushed Max forward. He stumbled from the shove, but quickly recovered. Max rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.  _ He’s cute, especially when he’s awkward. Nope. He’s just cute.  _

“I hope I can see you again soon, Zoey.” 

“Me too, Max. Me too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading guys! I got sloppy at the end, so sorry for that. I hope to post the next two chapters in the next few days. 
> 
> Criticism, comments, and kudos are appreciated <3


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